


Dog

by kiyala



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Cats, Fluff, M/M, POV Outsider, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-06
Updated: 2013-06-06
Packaged: 2017-12-14 03:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/832033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grantaire and Enjolras' relationship, as seen from the perspective of the cat that Grantaire adopts one day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dog

Dog meets Grantaire on what should, by all reason, be the last day of his life. It's raining and Dog is confused and lost, and too young to remember who his owner is or where his house is. It's cold and his grey fur is drenched, sticking to him. He finds a doorstep to sit on but even then, he can't escape the rain and he gives up, mewling miserably, resigning himself to his fate.

This is, of course, before he's even called Dog. Before he meets Grantaire.

He's shivering, his eyes closed, when he suddenly feels the rain stop. He opens his eyes and looks up, to see a man crouching in front of him, green hoodie and black, curling hair getting rained on as he holds an umbrella forward to shade the doorstep.

"Hey, kitty. What are you doing here?" The man's voice is gentle, he introduces himself as Grantaire, and calls Dog _Kitty_ to begin with, picking him up and holding him close. The front of Grantaire's hoodie is still dry and it's warm. Dog buries his face into it and mewls quietly. He shuffles until he's comfortable and he hears Grantaire chuckle quietly and hold him closer.

Grantaire carries him inside, where it's warmer and drier, and that's how Dog meets Enjolras.

"Hey, Enjolras, do you have a towel I can borrow?"

"Grantaire, what are you—oh." Enjolras' tone immediately goes from confused to concerned. "Is it okay?"

"Just cold, I think. Found him on your doorstep."

"He's too young to be away from his mother." Enjolras' tone is disapproving. "Wait, you're sure it's a he?"

Dog's world goes upside down for a moment, and Grantaire cheerfully says, "Well, I am now."

Dog would complain, but then there's a nice, fluffy towel against him and he rubs his face against it, letting it dry him.

"Look at him." Grantaire's tone is fond. "He doesn't have a collar or anything. Poor little guy."

"You're going to keep him, aren't you?" Enjolras sounds resigned.

"Nobody who wants to keep a kitten would leave it outside in the rain." Grantaire's voice is hard, before it softens again. "Besides, I know what I'm going to call him."

"Should I be concerned?"

"Dog," Grantaire says proudly.

Enjolras sighs. Dog decides he quite likes his name.

«·»

Dog quickly learns that Enjolras and Grantaire are very carefully avoiding the fact that they're dating. It's Enjolras' apartment that Grantaire had first taken him into, with its clean timber floors and everything organised neatly. Grantaire's apartment, which then becomes Grantaire and Dog's apartment, is a little messier. There's carpet on the floor, which Dog likes sleeping on better, and everything smells like paint.

Dog has a water bowl, a food bowl, and a kitty litter tray at Grantaire's apartment. Grantaire gets him chipped and neutered, and Dog doesn't talk to him for a few days after that, but Grantaire wins him back with fresh fish and a ball that jingles.

Grantaire goes to Enjolras' apartment every second day and sometimes, he takes Dog with him. Enjolras is kind and affectionate with Dog, smiling at him and cuddling him while Grantaire cooks dinner for them and talks about how his paintings are going. Dog can't help but wonder if maybe some of the smiles and cuddles are meant for Grantaire instead, but Enjolras doesn't seem like a shy person. Dog accepts them on Grantaire's behalf anyway, deciding that humans can be confusing sometimes.

Grantaire and Enjolras are funny about kissing, kind of the same way that Dog is funny about the fluffy welcome mat in Enjolras' apartment. Just as Dog sometimes pounces on the mat and scratches at it and then pretends like it never happened, Grantaire and Enjolras will sometimes pull each other close, fitting their lips together, and then quickly pull apart, clearing their throats and continuing their conversation. Dog usually twines between their legs then, because they're both avoiding each other's eyes and don't know what to do, so they might as well pat him.

«·»

Of course, Dog isn't always there, so he can't always stop his humans from doing stupid things.

Grantaire and Enjolras fight a lot, and Dog can tell because Grantaire slams the door behind him when he comes home, and the house smells less like paint and more like alcohol. Sometimes, he'll complain to Dog about how Enjolras just doesn't get it, or that he's going to get himself hurt, or that Enjolras is just plain blind and doesn't see things when they're right in front of him. Sometimes, he'll just sulk and the only thing that will cheer him up is when Dog climbs onto his lap, giving him the smiles and cuddles that he's saved up from Enjolras.

Enjolras doesn't usually come over to Grantaire's apartment, but he does when they're fighting. Dog likes it when that happens, because it always means that they're _done_ fighting.

So when Enjolras doesn't come over and Grantaire doesn't stop drinking, Dog knows it's bad.

Grantaire's friends come over one by one to check on him, and Dog meets them all, greeting them by the door and showing them to where Grantaire is sitting at his desk, one bin full of empty bottles and another full of scrunched up paper with half-complete drawings. He likes them all well enough, especially Bahorel and Jehan, who sometimes come together and sometimes come alone, both of whom pick him up and play with him because Grantaire is too sad to do that himself.

Jehan finally asks Grantaire if he and Enjolras have broken up, which earns him a bitter laugh and a reply of, "We'd actually need to be _together_ for that to happen, wouldn't we?"

Jehan hums, like Grantaire has just solved all of the problems in the world, and Dog decides that Jehan is a very clever person indeed.

Two days later, Enjolras comes over. He doesn't look half as upset as Grantaire does, which makes Dog extremely angry with him for all of two minutes, before he walks into the apartment, and to the room that Grantaire hasn't left for two weeks.

"Hey, R." When he speaks, he sounds entirely unsure of himself, and Dog knows how much it takes for Enjolras to put away his confident mask, to reveal that he's actually terrified. Dog forgives him immediately.

He leaves them to talk, because he doesn't want to distract them. They take a while, so Dog curls up on his cat bed, resting his head on his paws. He looks up when he hears Grantaire say, " _I love you_ ," like it's a challenge, an accusation.

Dog waits until Enjolras replies with, " _I love you too_ ," before he puts his head back down again, content. His humans are a little stupid sometimes, but they're getting there.

«·»

Grantaire moves into Enjolras' apartment, and Dog goes with him. It's cosy, with all three of them together, but none of them really mind. Enjolras shares his bed with Grantaire and most of the time they let Dog sleep between them. Sometimes, they shut him outside and he curls up on the fluffy doormat while Enjolras chants, " _please_ ," and, " _fuck_ ," while Grantaire hums contently.

They're both much happier now, which means that Dog is happy too. Enjolras doesn't give Dog the cuddles he means to give Grantaire, because he's no longer afraid. Dog doesn't mind, because when he climbs onto the couch between them, they cuddle him and cuddle each other at the same time. It is perhaps Dog's favourite thing in the world, aside from fish and Enjolras' laser pointer.

They still argue sometimes, and Grantaire still drinks more than Dog or Enjolras would like, but they make their relationship work. Dog doesn't think they would enjoy it half as much without the arguing anyway, and they seem to enjoy making up afterwards just as much as they enjoy actually arguing.

Dog can't presume to understand how humans think, but he supposes it works, and that's the important thing.

«·»

A year and a half passes, and Dog grows up. He no longer needs as many cuddles as he did when he was a kitten, but he never says no when Grantaire picks him up. He grows more patient, sitting on the couch with Enjolras when he watches documentaries that Grantaire isn't interested in, or keeping him company when he stays up late to do work. He walks Grantaire to the art shop down the road, jumping from wall to wall and keeping an eye on him, no longer afraid of the outdoors, not even when it's raining.

He watches Grantaire and Enjolras grow closer, fitting their lives around each other no matter what changes in them. They go out with their friends, and sometimes have their friends over, but they never tire of each other's company. Dog is glad, because he still hasn't forgotten how sad Grantaire was all that time ago, and he hopes he never sees it again. From the looks of it, Enjolras feels the exact same way.

Then, one day, when Dog rubs his face against Grantaire's hand, he feels something strange and new.

It's a metal ring, smooth and cool, and entirely different to the soft, warm skin that Dog is used to. He sniffs at it, then licks it experimentally. Grantaire laughs, and he sounds so delighted that Dog decides no matter what it is, it can't possibly be a _bad_ thing.

"You like it?"

Dog decides that yes, he does. He rubs his face against Grantaire's hand again, feeling the bump of the ring against his cheek. It's a little strange, but definitely not unpleasant. He'll get used to it.

Then, Enjolras comes out of their room. When Dog greets him, he notices that Enjolras is wearing a ring too. He bumps his nose against it too, and Grantaire laughs again.

"I think he likes our rings."

"Yeah?" Enjolras smiles, first at Dog, then at Grantaire. "Well, so do I."

Grantaire's smile is bright enough to light up an entire room. "Me too."


End file.
